1.7.1 Achitecture

From Geostandards

Contents 1 INSPIRE - Architecture 2 NORA architecture 3 Combined architecture 4 Permanently embedding ‘geo’ within NORA

INSPIRE - Architecture

The INSPIRE-architecture is described in: D3.5_INSPIRE_NS_Architecture_v2.0.pdf.

The most important architecture map is the following.

INSPIRE approaches the infrastructure from the standpoint of the data (content, information). Almost all its attention is directed towards the semantics, the description of the data. The data specifications make it possible to interpret geo-information for public policy issues. The data specifications form the basis for the geographic data sets, that fall within the scope of INSPIRE.

As well as the geographic data sets, other sources need to be maintained (centrally) and made accessible if the correct treatment and interpretation of the data is to be achieved. These sources are held in registers with a thoroughly described maintenance model.

In the INSPIRE architecture the access and manipulation of data is done through services, and through these services the data are presented to users. The technically orientated architecture of INSPIRE consists of several layers that each contribute to the supply of information within the geo-domain. The illustration above shows a simplified overview of the main technical subsections of this architecture.

The services layer in the INSPIRE architecture ensures the provision of several types of services which, in turn, ensure the basic functionality and the linking to the geographic data sets. Six types of services are mentioned that, together, form the basic functionality. These are:

• Discovery service: searching for data on the basis of meta-data
• Viewing service: access to data, e.g. WMS
• Download service: downloading of data (especially GML, in combination with WFS).
• Transformation service: for instance the transformation of the National Triangular Coordinates to ETRS89, (the implementation of which is still unclear).
• Invoke spatial data services: the possibility of adding other (commercial) geo-services to the INSPIRE network. (The implementation of these services is also still unclear).
• Registry service: looking for data in registers (such as code lists, coordinate reference systems and name spaces).

INSPIRE is built on the following basic principles:

• geo-information is stored, maintained and made public using a single, appropriate level;
• geo information from different sources within the EU can be combined consistently, and exchanged between different users and applications;
• geo information that was gathered on one specific level of government, can be exchanged with other levels of government;
• geo information is made public under such conditions that wide-scale use is not needlessly hampered;
• publicly available geo-information that can be easily retrieved, and its suitability and conditions of use can be easily checked.

INSPIRE starts from a service-oriented architecture and chooses the ISO standards from the 19100 series and the old OGC standards which are oriented to rendering geo information (data).

NORA architecture

The goal of NORA is to improve the services offered by the Dutch government to its customers, by making governmental organisations co-operate and by using a shared information infrastructure. This is achieved by mutually adjusting the governmental architectures, using the common principles on which these architectures were developed. If the exchange of geo-information should be possible within NORA, the principles of NORA are to be observed for the geo-domain too.

One of the main principles of NORA 2.0 is the use of a service-oriented architecture that allows governmental organisations to act as one when supplying services to citizens and companies (e- government). NORA directs much attention to the managerial consequences of a service-oriented approach such as this.

The NORA architecture is described in: [1].

The main picture of NORA is as follows:

The illustration above provides a simplified model of the way in which governmental organisations provide services to citizens and companies. These services can be provided through several canals [blue field] and are the result of company and work processes that are carried out within governmental organisations [orange field]. When providing services and carrying out work processes, many kinds of data play a crucial role; for this reason all governmental organisations have made provisions for storing data [grey field].

The principles of RORA are partly fundamental, and partly derived from nature. An example of a fundamental principle follows. P1 Services through the Internet: organisations in the public domain provide their services to citizens, companies and societal institutions through the Internet (electronic office*) and encourage the use of this channel. As this example shows, NORA is more oriented to how government should operate. This makes INSPIRE and NORA complementary to each other. INSPIRE implements NORA technically when it concerns geo-information.

Combined architecture

In the illustration below NORA and ‘geo’ are integrated.

The provisions for storing data are indicated on the right in grey. For ‘geo’ it is mainly GIS software that makes use of a spatial database. The geo-information is accessed by geo-services. Usually geo-information is presented (WMS and WFS). Within the realm of e-government, it is also important to exchange messages in order to keep the basic registrations mutually consistent. For this the collection to NEN3610 –StUF is essential. ‘Geo’ thus becomes a part of the stream of mutation messages within the system.

Geo-services are registered in a catalogue, the nationaal georegister. For the e-government, this is achieved in the OSB service Registry. By connecting both registries, geo-services can be retrieved within e-government. These kinds of national provisions are increasingly important.

At the same time, the government is producing components for governmental websites. Geo-information is added to these components by using GEOZET, enabling it to be used in MijnOverheid.nl (“MyGovernment.nl”). These components are not needed per se. Websites (blue bar, far left) can draw information directly from the geo services. Some examples are given of governmental websites on which is being used on the bar on the left.

Permanently embedding ‘geo’ within NORA

A more extensive description of the framework of the geo standards of NORA 2.0 is provided in Chapter 2. The question was raised as to whether geo-information warrants a dedicated domain. For the ICTU Knowledge Centre that maintains NORA, it was agreed that, from the standpoint of NORA, geo-information does not constitute a dedicated domain. It is common data, at a location that serves different domains.

NORA 3.0 has a different structure to version 2.0. This is illustrated alongside. As a consequence of the agreement mentioned above, the geo-information is indicated by way of a chapter, as an integral part of NORA. This doesn't apply to the files, which are, for instance, directed to a specific subject or target group.

The geo-set, according to expectations, will be integrated into NORA in early 2010. For each set there will be a period of about half a year set aside for consultations (including alterations). This means that the current Chapter 2 of the framework of standards will expire, and that subjects relating to this framework will be added in the form of provisions. Because of the integration into NORA ‘geo’ is gradually being stripped of its special character (‘spatial is not special’).

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